Folding outboard motor



April 1932. F. T. IRGENS FOLDING OUTBOARD MOTOR Filed Oct. 12, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet l 7 April 19, 1932. lRGENs 1,854,196

FOLDING OUTBOARD MOTOR Filed Oct. 12, 1929 Z'SheetS-Sheet 2 uirsn STATES Patented A r. 19,1932 2 PATENT orrlca mm: r. means, or MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR r0 OUTBOARD MOTORS con} ronn'rron, or MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, A conrom'rron or moment FOLDING OUTBOARD MOTOR v Application'hled October 12,1929. Serial no. 399,128.

This invention relates to improvements in folding outboard motors.

It is the rimary object of the invention to render a oldable motor more compact and easily portable than heretofore. It is a further purpose of the invention to provide a novel and improved arran ement for suporting the motor in a desired position whether folded or unfolded, and to provide means for holding accumulations of oil and. waste products to prevent their discharge when the motor is not in use.

It is also my object to provide a. novel and improved fuel tank mounting including a support for the tiller and carburetor and an enclosure for the carburetor inlet and magneto, whereby to mufie the sound of the air inlet and particularly to protect the operator against dirt and shocksand burns heretofore commonly experienced in the operation of outboard motors.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the motor as it appears when folded, the'opened posi-' tion of its lower end unit being illustrated in dotted lines.

Figure 2 is a rear elevation of the motor as it appears when folded, a portion of one of the muers bein'gbroken away.

Figure 3 is a plan view of the unfolded m0- tor with the fly wheel and magneto and fuel tank removed to show the disposition of the fuel tank bracket, carburetor, and tiller handle support.

Figure 4; is a view taken in section in the plane indicated at 4-4 in Fig. 3.

Figure 5 is atdetail in perspectiveof the mufller head shown in the other views.

Like parts are identified by the same reference characters throughout the several views. The stream lined lower unit 10 of the motor is provided at its upper end with hinge knuckles at 11, and ears at 12 to which the clamping bolts 13 are end unit is of usual construction except that it is somewhat more elongated than has been the case heretofore in folding motors. Its elongation carries its stream lining well pivoted. The lower I ator.

The shaft housing 14, which terminates at 15 1n a hinge fitting complementary to the upper end of the lower unit 10, is somewhat shorter than shaft housings heretofore employed. It is provided at 16 with notched ears into which the swiveled lock bolts 13 are receiVable. The swivel bearing 17 in which the motor turns as a unit for steering is provided with a rearwardly extending arm pivoted at 18 to the usual transom bracket 19. .Mounted on the upper end of the shaft housing 14 is a crank case 20 carrying the cylin spaced relation. The space between them is sufficient to permit the passage of the lower unit 10 when such unit is folded as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. In the folded position of this unit the propeller 32 is .dis-

posed transversely immediately beneath the fiy wheel 24 and the 'skeg 33 extends about the fly wheel to approximately the exact projection of the upper end of The hub of propeller 32 is peripherally grooved at 34 and is yieldably retained in the folded position of the parts by a spring detent 35.

It will be noted that the lower unit in its folded position occupies thespace in which,

the fuel tank is commonly positioned: In the present motor the fuel tank 37 is moved to the front of the motor whiffh position has the drive shaft 23.

many advantages. Not only 1s a space provided for the folding of the motor to a more compact form, but in its forward position the fuel tank shields the fly wheel and the spark plugs and the hot cylinders of the engine, thus preventing possible accident to the oper- Additionally, the fuel tank is positioned to intercept and protect the operator from oil thrown b the crank shaft or the in use.

above the-water line when the apparatus is v magneto parts or y wheel, and 1t also acts. 109

. which a sprin finger 42mounted on the car as a baflle surrounding the air inlet to the- In its forward position the fuel tank is protected from being struck upon the round when the motor is being carried or lai down in its folded or unfolded condition. Furthermore, the cut-ofi valve 27 in the fuel line 28 to the carburetor is more conveniently accessible than has heretofore been the case. The fuel tank is also protected-by itsposition from muflier heat. corners by angle brackets attached to jacketed portions 0 the cylinders and its forward art is carried from the motor on a special racket hereinafter described.

The timer control lever 38 is mounted on the rotatable base late 39 of the fly wheel magneto in the usua wa but instead of rojectlng directly forwar ly from such p ate the lever 38 is extended upwardly in the arcuate channel between the fi wheel and the fuel tank 37 and is exposed or manipulationabove the top of the fuel tank. Plate 39 is provided at 40 with a toothed segment with buretor and tiller bracket 43 is enga ed to maintain the timer in its position to w ich it is adjusted by lever 38.

The discharge ports of of being are located at 44 in the peripheral side wall portions of relatively deep on -shaped closures or heads 45 with which t e respective mufllers are provided. It will be noted that in the folded condition of the motor it is supported at, three points by the muflier caps 45 and the hinged end of the lower unit 10. When the lower unit is opened out as shown mufllers 30 instead in dotted lines in Fig. 1 the motor may agamh w is be laid down upon three oints, two 0 com rise the muflier hea 45 and'the third of whic comprises the hub of propeller 32. In either position of the motor the caps 45 will be adapted to receive and retain against leakage auy ordinary quantity of oi., water or waste products which remain in the mufiiers.

The bracket 43 is unusual in that it su ports the fuel tank 37 and the tiller whlle comprising in itself a carburetor. This bracket is integral with the front of the crank case at 51 and is fitted at 52 to the portion of cylinder 21 through which the mixture port enters crank case. Between these two points the bracket provides a as-.

sage 53 having its air'inlet at 54 and inc uding at 55 a cylindrical chamber in which the throttle valve operates. This valve comprises a rotary plug 56 .bearing a partition 57 in the form of a cylinder subtending a chord of the cylindrical chamber 55. The float chamber 58 supplies a tubular nozzle 59 which enters the chamber 55'intermediate the air inlet and air outlet portions of passage t is carried atit's rear located m-the ends of the mufliers at ice 53 which lead to and from said chamber re-'; spectively.

The arrangement is such that oscilla- 56 the operator may adjust the tion of plu either to partially or fully close partition 5 either the inlet or the outlet portions of pas- I sage 53. If the in is rotated counterclockwise from the'fu t 'rottle position in which a is illustrated in Fig. 3 and Fig. 4, a will move across the air inlet portion of'passage '53 thereby subjectingthe jet 59 to the more or less unrelieve'd depression existin in the I crank case, the'efiect being to cho e the carburetor. If, on the other hand, the lug J is rotatedin a clockwise direction as ustrated in Fig. 3, the partition 57 will move,

.Lever 60 carries a segment at 61 meshing with a small pinion at 62. on the shaft rtion of valve plug 56. The full. open ottle position may be defined by a spring pressed plunger 64 which co-acts with a notch in the racket during the oscillation of lever 60 as shown in Fig. 4.

The tiller-50 is fulcrumed upon the bolt 65 which is screwed into bracket arm 63 and also bears a brace 66 supporting the fuel tank 37. The arm 67 connected with the tiller ip 50 and disposed at right angles theretrZ 1s provided at 68 with a spring pin which in the normal position of the tiller as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1 rests against shoulder 69 on the bracket. From the tiller tion thus defined, the tiller may be oscil ated upwardly thus permitting the operator convenientl to maintain control thereof on occasions w en theentire-motor. is tilted about its bracket pivot 18 due to encountering some submerged obstruction.

When the spring pin- 68 is pulled downwardly to clear shoulder 69 the tiller handle 50 may be folded down to the full line position in which it is illustrated in Fig. 1, and in this position the pin 68 is engaged in an osi-.

aperture or socket 70 in the arm 63 of the combined tiller support and carburetor. I The engagement of the pin in this socket.

holds the tiller substantially in alignment with the drive shaft of the motor and the shaft housing 14, thus enabling the tiller handle to be used as a carrying handle for the It serves this function conveniently or closed, makes little difference. The motor is very nearl in longitudinal balance beneath the horizontally disposed tiller handle 50 when its lower unit 10 is unfolded, and is only slightly less in balance when the lower unit is folded.

It has not been thought necessary to describe in detail the provision of complementary water passages in the lower unit 10 and the coupling portion 15 of the drive shaft housing, nor to illustrate the necessary provision of couplings on the exposed ends of the drive shaft portions in such unit and housing, since the present invention is not concerned with these features. So 'far as the folding features of the present invention are concerned, they relate broadly to means whereby the motor is folded substantially in the exact center of its longitudinal length whereby its overall dimensions when fol ed are less than would be the case if the joint were provided at any other point. As above pointed out this folding arrangement has been made practicable by a new disposition of the gas tank and a new mufller arrangement, the other features described belng worked out in harmony with this new dispos1- tion of the principal parts of the motor.

I claim:

1. A collapsible outboard motor comprising upper and lower units ,in hinged connection, the upper unit including an engine provided with a cylinder and a mumer, the muffler being so disposed that a portion of the lower unit may be folded about said hinged connection to lie laterally adjacent the muffler.

2. An outboard motor of the class described, comprising upper and lower units in hinged relation, the upper unit comprising an engine provided with cylinders and a plurality of mufiers in spaced relation between which portions of said lower unit are folded.

3. An outboard motor of the class described, comprising upper and lower units adapted to be connected together in extended relation and alternatively to be disposed side by side, the upper unit comprising an engine, a forwardly disposed fuel tank and a pair of rearwardly disposed mufiers between which portions of said lower unit may lie opposite said fuel tank.

4. An outboard motor comprising upper and lower units adapted to lie folded upon each other and provided with means for connecting said units in extended relation, the upper unit comprising an engine having a fly wheel and a fuel tank disposed forwardly of said fly wheel and mufilers projecting rearwardly from said engine beneath said fly wheel and'in spaced relation with each other, the lower unit carrying a propeller and a gear casing foldable between said mufllers with said propeller adjacent said fly wheel and opposite said tank.

5. An outboard motor comprising upper and lower'units adapted to lie folded upon each other and provided with means for connecting said units in extended relation, the upper unit comprising an engine having a fly wheel and a fuel tank disposed forwardly of said fly wheel and mufliers projecting rearwardly from said engine beneath said fly wheel and in spaced relation with each other,

the lower unit carrying a propeller and a gear casing foldable between said mufllers with said propeller adjacent said fly wheel and opposite said tank, together with means for connecting said lower unit to the upper I unit in the position in which its propeller is disposed as aforesaid.

6. A motor of the class described com rising hinged upper and lower units fol able upon each other, the upper unit including an engine and a fly wheel, and the lower unit including a propeller adapted in the folded position of the said units to lie immediately beneath the fly wheel, together with a detent yieldably engageable with a portion of said propeller and adapted to maintain said units in their folded relation.

7. A motor of the class described comprising hinged upper and lower units foldable upon each other, the upper unit including an engine and a fly wheel, and the lower unitincluding a propeller adapted in the folded position of the said units to lie immediately eneath the fly wheel, together with a detent yieldably engageable with a portion of said propeller and adapted to maintain saidunits in their folded relation, the propeller hub being grooved to receive said detent.

8. An outboard motor comprising hingedly related upper and lower units, the upper unit including an engine provided with rearwardly projectin spaced mufiers adapted irrespectiveliy o the position of the lower unit to provi e support for said engine.

9. An outboard motor comprising hingedly related upper and lower units, the upper unlt including an engine provided with rearwardly projecting spaced mufiers adapted irrespectively of the position of the lower unit to provide support for said engine, said mufflers being closed at their ends.

10. An outboard motor comprising hing-.

edly related upper and lower units, the upper unit including an engine provided with rearwardly projecting spaced mufilers adapted irrespectively of the position of the lower unit to provide support for said engine, said mufliers being closed at their ends and provided with exhaust ports spaced from said ends whereby said ends are adapted to receive and retain waste materials falling in said mufller when the engine is supported thereby.

11. In an outboard motor, the combination with an operatively connected engine and propelling lower unit, said engine comprisno i ing 0 positely disposed cylinders and a forwar y rejecting control handle, of individual m ers connected with the respective cylinders and pro'ecting rearwardly therefrom in spaced re ation, said engine having a. fuel tank disposed forwardly from said mufiiers and extending clear across said engine above said handle.

' 12. In an outboard motor, the combination with an operatively connected engine and lower unit, said engine comprising oppositely disposed cylinders, of individual mufiers connected with the respective cylinders and projecting rearwardl therefrom in spaced relation, said engine aving a fuel tank disposed forwardly from said mufier, and said lower unit being collapsible with respect to the engine to lie between said muers and op osite said tank.

3. An outboard motor having a two cylinder engine including opposite cylinders, a dy wheel thereabove, spark plugs projecting upwardly from said cylinders at each side of the fly wheel, and a fuel tank disposed about said fly wheel at the front thereof and extending in front of said spark plugs whereby to shield said plugs, cylinders, and fly wheel.

M. An outboard motor having a two cylinder engine including opposite cylinders, a fly wheel thereabove, spark plugs projecting up= wardly from said cylinders at each side of the fly wheel, and a fuel tank disposed about said fly wheel at the front thereof and em tending in front of said spark plugs whereby to shield said plugs, cylinders, and fly wheel from the operator, said cylinders hav ing mufier means disposed at a point remote from said fuel tank.

15. An outboard motor having a two cylinder engine including opposite cylinders, a fly wheel thereabove, spark plugs projecting upwardl from said cylinders at each side of the y wheel, and a fuel tank dlsposed about said fly wheel at the trout thereof and extending in frontof said spark plugs whereby to shield said plugs, cylinders, and fly wheel from the operator, said cylinders having mufiler means disposed at a point remote from said fuel tank and adapted in a horizontal position of said motor to provide support for said engine.

' 16. An outboard motor having an engine rovided with a fly wheel, a fuel tank at the ront of the fly wheel, and a forwardly projecting bracket provided with a tiller handle and a support for said fuel tank, said bracket bein connected with a fuel admission port lea in'gto the interior of said engine and comprising a fuel admission passage leading to said ort.

17. The com ination with an outboard motor including an engine, of a tiller handle bracket having a hollow interior communibeneath the flywheel eating with. said engine for the, admission of air thereto, means associated with said bracket for the carburetion of such air, and means on said bracket comprising a handle for the mani ulation of the engine.

18. An outboard motor comprising in combination an engine having an admission port, a member providing an air passage leading to said port, a fuel duct leading to an intermediate portion of said passage, and a valve adjustable to restrict said passage alternatively at each side of said duct, said member being provided with a tiller handle for the manipulation of said motor.

19. An outboard motor comprising in combination an engine having an admission port, a member providing an air passage leading to said port, a fuel duct leading to an intermediate portion of said passage, and a valve adjustable to restrict said passage alternatively at each side of said duct, said member being provided with a tiller handle for the manipulation of said motor and said valve being provided with a handle projecting adjacent said tiller handle.

20. In an outboard motor the combination with a tiller handle pivotally connected with said motor and provided with means normally maintaining it in a position substantially at right angles to the motor shaft, of means for releasably securing said tiller in a position of substantial parallelism with said shaft whereby said handle may be used in the transportation of the motor.

21. In an outboard motor the combination with an engine and a drive shaft, of a tiller handle pivotally connected with said engine, and means for releasably maintaining said handle in a position substantially parallel with said shalt, whereby the tiller handle may serve as a carrying handle for the motor.

22. In an outboard motor the combination with an engine and a drive shaft, of a tiller handle pivotally connected with said engine, and means for releasabl maintaining said handle'in a. position substantially parallel with said shaft whereby the tiller handle may serve as a carrying means for the motor, said means being adapted to define a second handle position in whichsaid handle is maintained against movement below ya line substantially at right angles to said shaft but is permitted movement upwardly from such a line.

23. A motor of the class described comprising hinged upper and lower units foldable upon each other, the upper unit including an engine and a fly-wheel, and the lower unit including a propeller and a section of the drive shaft housing, the up er unit having its parts atone side thereof spaced to provide a, recesswhich receives the lower unit when the two units are folded upon one another with the propeller lying immediately and protected thereby. FINN T. IRGENS. 

